Bullet Wounds

Had they not qualified, this bag would have been used to
you know what - it has their name on it so clearly..;}  

So the Chipolopolo have qualified to AFCON 2013.  I should be happy about this but I am not.  Why? Because the fashion in which they achieved this was ridiculous.  African champions do not give a lacklustre performance at home only giving them a 1-0 cushion to carry to Uganda, where they then play like they have no mphamvu, let the Cranes score to even the tally and then have to take it to a penalty shoot-out that ends up being longer than the one that secured their victory earlier in the year! UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!! Why, Zambia, why do we act like this?! I say this because anyone who represents our country acts as ambassadors for the people.  Their behaviour indicates to the world what kind of people we are.  Clearly we are back to being the jokers that we have been.  Instead of using the opportunity afforded by our AFCON win to continue to fulfil our potential, we are reverting back to our underachiever ways. Instead of catalysing our success into becoming a recognised African football powerhouse like our Ghanaian and Ivorian friends, we are complacent and relying on luck.  We are a Christian nation but let me tell you, God only helps those who help themselves.  I don't know who helped us on Saturday but it was certainly not God because we did nothing to deserve the win we got.

I don't know what I would have done if we had not qualified and had the opportunity to play at the World Cup 2010 venues and defend our title.  That should have been incentive enough but it clearly wasn't   Pundits said before the match that we shouldn't worry about the Chipolopolo performance at home because the boys have evolved from being motivated by money as they were rewarded handsomely for their efforts and now it is self-esteem and pride for their nation that will carry them through, the bonus they will get for qualifying was inconsequential.  From the way they played they couldn't care less about ego, money, the nation or anything. The only way to really describe how I feel about their performance is to give you another convo with SPORTS GUZA like I did the last time I was exasperated and wounded by friendly fire:

SG: Have you seen the picture quality? S***ty

MbA: As always. I've even stopped commenting on that.  Renard is wearing black jeans, not blue ones.  If we lose that's why.  I'm very superstitious.  Next he'll chop off his hair!

SG: Ahhhh no we need the hair and skinny jeans.

MbA: The jeans are still skinny but they are black.  Then the shirt colour will change...

SG: Jinx!

MbA: This is not the time for experimentation

SG: Ok, signing off till afterwards....

At half time:

SG: We are clearly out of our depth

MbA: Drugs, just drugs! Was waiting for you to reopen comms. WTF?!!!!!!

SG: No pushing...hesitant

MbA: Ah it's like they don't know how to play football:  Complete panic when in possesion, making long loopy passes and being dispossessed as soon as the ball comes to our feet.  This is it, jeez!  It will be over in 45 if we aren't careful.  We didn't cushion ourselves well at home

SG: No we didn't, lousy game.  

After penalty shoot out that needed 11 rounds for us to win 10-9.

SG: Dude do you feel what I'm feeling? Gutted?

MbA: And the penalty by [Christopher] Katongo to start - says it all.  Since Ug scored I have not felt well.  This is not how you qualify man! We didn't need this amount of stress! I can't even be happy it's too hot and I couldn't eat.  I'm hungry!

SG: I started crying (This is a woman who doesn't cry)

MbA:  I almost cried but I was so hungry so I almost threw up instead (Was going to get lunch at half time but I was so wired I couldn't eat so by the time this was all over I was nauseated) Too much for me too much! I almost died watching the Gabon penalties

SG: I am still in shock

MbA: And you do this just to qualify and these penalties went longer and we started badly.  Bl**dy disrespectful to us fans.  I'm f**king pissed, can't even enjoy qualification

SG: This goes on your blog

MbA: Of course it does!

We both had to go out later to calm down and remember that life is good.

To make it worse,  while watching ZNBC news later to hear what the country had to say, one stupid kambwanga of a man from Kabwe was talking about that loser Clifford Mulenga and how he was needed.  Dude broke curfew during the QF and was suspended and did not participate in the SF or the Final or take a penalty to get the AFCON win.  During the time he played he did not score or do anything singular that could attribute to our advancement through the tournament in 2012.  He is not our talisman.  He is a joker and a fool who missed out on a great opportunity because he could not compute the seriousness and the meaning of us playing in the very country that our men perished almost 20 years before.  GET A GRIP PEOPLE AND STOP FOCUSING ON NONSENSE!!!

Herve and the boys need to regroup. The spirits of our fallen heroes carried them to victory but now it is now up to the Chipolopoloto continue on their own steam to greater heights.  The eagle on our flag is there for a reason: it is to remind us that we are regal, that we can soar and conquer and that we can control our own destiny. NAPAPATA get it together before AFCON 2013!